I think I have said this before, but I am a huge homebody. I just really love being home. So much so, that I would totally choose cooking dinner at home over going out to eat. And SO much so that I’d even choose homemade “takeout” over having to get in the car, drive to a restaurant and shlep the food home…okay, that might just be pure laziness on my part, but either way homemade is always the way to go, in my opinion.

Really, it is true, homemade is a million times better, plus YOU get to control over what goes into your food. Sometimes restaurants can totally freak me out. I mean who knows what they are doing back there behind closed doors… clearly, I have serious issues, but I have declared this many times.

Anyway, my point is that most of these takeout foods can be made at home, and may even take less than time than ordering and picking up. They will probably taste much better too!! I have a whole list of “takeout” foods that I want to recreate at home…orange chicken anyone?!?

Anything you guys REALLY want to see??

Here’s the deal, do you guys remember back in December when I announced I was partnering with Almond Breeze on their “Imagine the Blendabilities” contest? Well, today’s recipe is the recipe idea I chose to create. I had a GIANT list of recipes to choose from, and to me, this one sounded yummiest, so I went with it! Plus, cashew chicken has been on my list of things to make for way too long now.

It was time!!

I mean, who could not fall in love with a big bowl of creamy cashew chicken, rice and naan. It’s total comfort food, but made healthier and simpler thanks to the crockpot!

When I was younger, Indian food was pretty much off my radar. My family ate very average foods… and that’s saying it nicely. It was mostly, chicken, steak, pasta, so many ground beef tacos, and burgers for the first twelve to thirteen years of my existence. My brothers LOVED it, and my two oldest brothers still continue to eat the same diet. Honestly, they are both going to majorly regret the amount of meat they are consuming. Just saying.

Sometime during my twelfth or thirteen year, I decided I was so over the steak and started doing some of the cooking. If you really want to get into my whole cooking journey, this is where it began, but I feel like we should try to stay on topic here.

So when I started cooking, I would google things, watched a lot of Food Network and eventually started reading food blogs. One thing or another led me to some Indian inspired recipes and I was HOOKED on their spices and flavors…plus any dish you can eat with rice or couscous I am SO in on. Cashew Chicken is a recipe I have seen and known about for ages now, but just never got around to making.

Oh man, what a mistake that was. Cashew chicken is the best!! I have made this crockpot creamy cashew chicken recipe a little different than it is traditionally made, but you guys! It is SO good! Think spicy, but not overly so. Think SO creamy, but without any actual cream. And then think super cozy and crazy delicious!! It’s the perfect weeknight meal or even weekend meal. You can add everything to the crockpot before work or school or wherever you may be, and then come home to a house that smells in-freaking-credible and a delicious dinner that is ready to eat!!

SCORE.

One little tip I have learned over the years is that, while my family loves the spices used in Indian cooking, turmeric is not one of them. So for this recipe I have adapted it slightly to my family’s taste. If you are a huge fan of Indian flavors I highly recommend adding a little garam masala to this. It’s still delish without it, but with it there is more of a traditional cashew chicken flavor.

Also, you may have noticed that I have become slightly obsessed with edible flowers lately. Honestly, I am just on this whole HUGE flower thing all together. I blame it all on winter, and the need for lots of color in my life…ok and my brother Malachi’s snapchat of the 90 degree days, sunshine and flowers he has out there in LA are killing me…highly considering a move to LA. Like HIGHLY.

Anyway, I really love edible flowers. Not only do they add a great flavor, but they are so beautiful. Therefore, I have been adding them as garnishes to everything lately. You DO NOT have to do this…but if you are into flowers too, I say GO FOR IT. 🙂

Instructions

Combine the chicken, potatoes and red pepper in the bowl of your crockpot.

To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, a god pinch of salt and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend. Pour the paste over the chicken. Add the remaining Almondmilk Cashewmilk. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

If the sauce is too thick, add more Almondmilk Cashewmilk to thin it, if the sauce is too thin, crank the heat to high on the crockpot and let cook, UNCOVERED for 20-30 minutes. This will thicken the sauce.

When ready to eat, stir in the fresh cilantro. Serve with steamed rice + fresh cilantro and basil...and of course, [naan | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-naan-step-step-photos/]!

Recipe Notes

*TO MAKE THIS ON THE STOVE: To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, graham marsala (if using), chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend. Drizzle a large pot set over medium heat with oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the curry paste, cashew milk, potatoes and red pepper. Cook, partially covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thicken, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve as directed.

And DONE. Let’s eat!

P.S. it’s Wednesday!! We are halfway through the week and tomorrow is Thursday and then Friday and, YESS!!!! Friday is my favorite! 🙂

I really like that tofu idea! I’m trying to incorporate more of that into my diet. We are huge homebodies too! Leaving the house some days just seems like torture. Even getting out of my career wear aka “sweat” pants” seems a struggle.

But like my momma always says….”those who wear nothing but sweat pants have given up on life”

Girl, love the flower obsession lately! I agree, I could totally go for some real good warm weather, like NOW! -This crockpot chicken looks so amazinggggg! Is there anything better than something made in the crockpot that can come out looking that GOOD?! LOVE IT!

I didn’t know they made a Almond-Cashew blend. I’m going to have to put it on my list. I love the flavors you have going on — since I’m not home I’ll have to save when I have a crock pot available. Now, we’d put the chicken over quinoa. Edible flowers, hmm? I’ll have to plant some.

for Robert: there is a light gray box directly above the recipe ingredient list, in that box on the lower right corner is a printer icon with purple letters “print”, click this, save the recipe to your desktop and then print it later.

There is light gray box directly above the recipe ingredient list, in that box on the lower right corner is a printer icon with purple letters “print”, click this, save the recipe to your desktop and then print it later. Let me know if you have questions.

TO MAKE THIS ON THE STOVE: To a blender or food processor, add the cashews, onion, garlic, ginger, Thai red curry paste, graham marsala (if using), chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until completely smooth. If needed, add 1/2 cup of Almondmilk Cashewmilk, to help the mixture blend. Drizzle a large pot set over medium heat with oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the curry paste, cashew milk, potatoes and red pepper. Cook, partially covered over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thicken, about 30-45 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve as directed.

I recently took an Indian cooking class and bought all of these incredible Indian spices but I’m not always sure of what to do with them. I’m so excited to give this dish a try! Karihttp://www.sweetteasweetie.com

Hello! This looks amazing and so tasty, that’s gonna be our dinner tonight ! However what quantity does “a cup” refers to ? Most likely a silly question but I have so many different size of cup at home ?

Soo I’ve been following you for a long time (like FOREVAA) but I’m not sure if I really know your whole story of how you got into this whole foodie world?? There is probably a post and I’m just blanking.. If not, I vote you do that!! Also, I vote you make a version of mushroom chicken. Cause uhm, mushrooms!!

Effing HELL this looks good. OH hot damn! Sorry for the potty words, but I just had to because this looks absolutely AMAZING! It looks like tikka masala curry, which is my absolutely favorite food in the world!

Hey Tieghan I’m going to make this tomorrow night, but the almond/cashew blend is unavailable in my area. I’m planning on blending the two myself. Do you have any idea what the ration of almond mile to cashew milk is in the Almond Breeze blend?

Looks good! My husband is half Indian so we enjoy Indian food a lot :-). I’m with you on turmeric though. A small amount in a recipe is fine, but when I see something more than 1/2 tsp for four servings I know I probably won’t like the recipe. I do sometimes add a small sprinkle to white rice along with some oil or butter to make the rice more colorful, but you can’t taste the turmeric at all.

I’ve already made this twice since it’s been posted. It. Is. So. Friggin. Good. Once on the stove and once in the crock pot, both turned out equally amazing. I didn’t have cashews so I used walnuts instead…and sweet potatos. This may be one of my new fave recipes of all time!

My favorite Indian dish is kahdi pakora- it’s a yogurt based curry. I’m also not a fan of eating out but if I do I try to get everyone to agree on Indian food so I can order this dish! I have attempted to make it at home but haven’t had much luck. Would love you to try your hand at it! Xoxox

Have made this most wonderful dish twice in 2 weeks…It is THAT delicous. Love the addition of cashew milk – first time I’ve had it and love it. Great marriage with the ground cashew. The spices are so intoxicating with the creaminess. Having to avoid carbs, used turnips vs potatoes and served over cauliflower rice. Love your blog and outstanding photography as well as your adventurous cooking/baking. You are truly living any foodie/cooks dream!

I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. I am curious, though. You used Thai curry paste in an Indian dish. Where did that idea come from? It worked beautifully, but I’m used to Indian dishes with tomato based sauces. It was a great way to get the depth of flavor and spice without watering the dish down or needing a million other spices. And without the heaviness that tomato sauces can add. I also have to add that my picky, picky husband has loved the 10-15 recipes I have made from your site. Thank you!

HI! I am THRILLED that you and your family loved this recipe. it is one of my favorites too! Thai curry paste or curry paste is actually used in a lot of Indian dishes. I use Thai because it it was is easily available to me, but I believe that there are Indian Curry Paste in stores as well or you can make them at home too! I also just LOVE the flavor of Thai curry paste. It’s just like what you said, it adds flavor, but doesn’t water down the dish. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks SO much Tibby! ?

Hi Candice! Thank you so much! You can double this, but go light on the cream. Start with just a 1/4 cup and then add more if you need to thin the sauce. I think the cooking times should be around the same, just make sure the chicken is all fully cooked before eating. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!

Making this right now for dinner. Purple sweet potatoes, chicken and tofu. The smell of the sauce is intoxicating. Can’t wait to sample it. Thanks for the ideas and the beautiful rustic, pictures. So freakin drool-worthy!

I made this tonight and it was a hit! We served it over cauliflower rice, which was perfect. I couldn’t find the almond milk blend so I used regular unsweetened almond milk. If you ask me, the garam masala is not optional- it seemed like a key flavor there. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

How much sauce does this make? My boyfriend has an appallingly high metabolism and is trying to gain weight, and he likes to take the leftovers I make to work with him to eat for lunch. I was thinking of doubling the amount of meat used, but I don’t know if that will leave enough sauce? If you could let me know that would be great.

Thanks for answering! I ended up using about 3 lbs’ worth of chicken breasts (the ones I got at my grocery store were just enormous) and doubled the amount of ingredients for the sauce. It worked very well, proportion-wise. Quite tasty. Gonna make the coq au vin today, super excited! I love trying your recipes; it’s a lot of fun, and I love expanding my cooking repertoire. 🙂

I thought I had enough roasted cashews at home, but it turns out I don’t! Do you think I could use roasted almonds instead? Or will that completely change the taste, since this is a recipe for cashew chicken?

You are the shit! I finally found a blog with great recipes! You have so many great supporters, well deserved! A few trolls too, but good and bad are one. Kindu blows my mind how people write a comment just for a slight misspelling. I thought graham masala sp was hilarious. I’m smellin what yer sellin. Thanks so much for just being you! 😀

I made this – I don’t know if I am a slow chopper or what, usually people say I am fast, but it definitely took me longer than 10 minutes to cut up everything, blend the sauce, prepare the chicken, etc. More like an hour. It smelled amazing, however, was SUPER bland!!!! My husband tried putting salt on it and realized that’s what it needed, a ton of salt! It doesn’t fix the problem, and I followed your recipe exactly, but I definitely recommend using 4 times as much salt, if not more, than advised on this recipe! Like, a tablespoon or more, because a pinch is not enough. It helps!

This is a weird mix of Thai and Indian curry flavor profiles. I knew a lot of the ingredients were not authentic Indian ingredients but gave it a go due to the convenience of using a crockpot. I think this could be good if you stuck with either an Indian flavor profile, or a Thai flavor profile. I would not recommend the recipe as is.

The first time I made the cashew butter chicken it was amazing. I followed the recipe exactly. The second time I made it I used milk instead of almond or cashew with not so great results as the milk curtled. I assume it was because of the lemon juice.

i just discovered your website and this recipe looks delicious. I dont have a crock pot but do have an instant pot. Have you tried making this in an instant pot instead? And if so what tips would you recommend. Thank you again! Just bought your cookbook and sent it to my aunt in Japan.

HI! I have not made in the instant pot, but it should work great! I would cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes and then use the quick release. Finish recipe as directed. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

i just discovered your website and this recipe looks delicious. I dont have a crock pot but do have an instant pot. Have you tried making this in an instant pot instead? And if so what tips would you recommend. Thank you again! Just bought your cookbook and sent it to my aunt in Japan.

This looks delicious, thank you for sharing. I dont have a crock pot but do have an instant pot. Have you tried making this in an instant pot instead? And if so what tips would you recommend. Thank you again! Just bought your cookbook and sent it to my aunt in Japan.

How much Garam Masala would you start with? I’ve never personally cooked with it before. Very excited to try this recipe! It looks beautiful, and from all the positive feedback it sounds very flavorful!

Meet Tieghan Gerard.

I’m Tieghan, the recipes you’ll find here are inspired by the people and places I love most. I try to live simply, eat seasonally, and cook with whole foods. My hope is to inspire a love for amazing food, as well as the courage to try something new!